Robert Asserian, an assistant pastor at the Central Assemblies of God church in Tehran, was arrested on the morning of May 21, 2013 when he arrived at the church to lead a prayer meeting. Since that day, the church, which has been under increasing pressure from the authorities leading up to the arrest, has not held any services or activities. Before its closure, the church was the largest Protestant church in Iran.
Pastor Sam Yeghnazar, founder of Elam Ministries, said: "We thank God for Robert's life and his recent release. However, although he is now physically free, he will be under close supervision and his activities will most likely be severely restricted. We pray for Robert's recovery, we pray that the authorities will soon realize that the church poses no political threat to them whatsoever, and we pray that this increasing persecution will stop. Unfortunately, the church is still closed, and I can imagine that the regime thinks they have won a great victory over the church in Iran by their recent actions. However, even if the authorities are able to close a church building, I am sure that the church in Iran will not be crushed; on the contrary, it will continue to grow. Jesus promised us: "upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).
Pray for:
- May Pastor Asserian get well
- Church members who can no longer gather
- That persecution must be mitigated under the next president
